Sackets Harbor

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Sackets Harbor Brewing Company is a microbrewery located in Sackets Harbor, NY.

Challenge: Although Sackets has had moderate success with a few of their beers in the past, they have had trouble establishing a professional, consistent message regarding their brand, especially in such a competitive industry.

They recently reorganized and had set some lofty sales goals to achieve. Basically, Sackets Harbor Brewing Company had a great product but struggled to define it for the consumer.

Idea: This was an easy one. It was natural to build on what this company already had, a good oldfashioned harbor town to call home – Sackets Harbor, NY, with its War of 1812 history and quaint harbor village charm – a perfect place to birth a brand and convey it to potential consumers.

With beers named War of 1812 Amber Ale, Thousand Islands Pale Ale and Harbor Wheat, ABC Creative Group set forward a chartered course for success. A new web presence (still under development currently) was developed as well as sales materials and signage for distributors that began to establish this old world brand. ABC developed concepts for viral marketing that included rumors that the beer recipes were stolen from the British during the war and passed down from generation to generation.

A buzz-generating campaign was developed that encouraged current Sackets Harbor fans to promote the beer in their own local establishments with the golden coin program and what was referred to as the “Brew Crew” hitting the streets.

Finally, ABC took full advantage of an opportunity to get the head coach for the Syracuse University basketball team, Jim Boeheim, as a spokesperson. A full media campaign was launched, promoting Sackets as Coach Boeheim’s new “winning team” and even used him as incentive for new establishments to take on the Sackets Harbor products.

Results: Sales of the Sackets Harbor brand brews were up over double in subsequent years, selling more beer than they ever had in one year since their inception in 1985. They are now beginning to distribute beers in all of New York including New York City, Florida and other east coast states and may soon be in states such as Tennessee and Texas.

Sackets Harbor Brewing Company has become a premiere micro brew, well known by fine beer connoisseurs all over the country.